We left Pender Harbour early this morning in order to cross the Straight of Georgia.  This was our final major crossing for the trip.  The morning started out calm as we cruised down the Sunshine Coast.  Today our blue skies were traded for brown as we ran into the smoke from the 500 plus wildfires burning in BC.  The water and sky took on a brown gray color in the eerie, hazy light.

The crossing itself went well.  We had 3-4 ft seas, but all of our boats handled it well and we were across in no time.  Once on the other side, we entered into the protected water behind Valdes and Gabriola Islands.  These islands are mostly comprised of sandstone rather than the volcanic rock that we’ve become accustomed to seeing.  This meant that the cliffsides were beautifully sculpted by the water and salt spray.  The small caves and pockets along the cliffs were full of nesting cormorants.

We arrived in Montague Harbour in the early afternoon.  Montague is a large anchorage that can hold a lot of boats without feeling cramped.  On one side of the harbor is a beautiful park with some white shell beaches that are popular with families.  There is also a campground and some nice hiking trails that follow the shoreline.  The area has many gorgeous old madrone trees.

One of the highlights of Montague Harbor was a visit to the Hummingbird Pub.  The pub has been operating a school bus shuttle to and from the marina for close to 20 years.  The bus driver plays his drum set, while driving the small island roads to the restaurant, and invites all of the passengers to sing and play along with an eclectic assortment of instruments.

Eldean, Grand Adventure, and Deception chose to go to the pub, while Inception cooked on board and enjoyed a quiet evening at anchor.  Patos chose to leave the group and go to the town of Chemainus this evening.  We hope that they are having a nice night as well.